The UN General Assembly vote, held on the 65th anniversary of UN petitioning of Palestine into Jewish and Arab countries, passes with 138 votes in favor, 9 against and 41 abstentions. Ban-Ki Moon and Mahmoud Abbas:

On the issue of the Palestine as a state and the Gaza West Bank political division.

When Abbas allowed Hamas to contest Palestinian Authority elections he made a misjudgment. He thought that Hamas would lose (and not be an alternative chosen to send a message about Fatah corruption) and by being involved they would embrace the peace process that formed the PA. Instead Hamas won and their PA governance was not recognised (internationally and later failed internally) because Hamas was not a party (and refused to be part of) to the peace process that formed the PA.

Recognition of the Palestinian state – for Palestine is now collectively recognised as a state (only one withheld veto by Israel’s proxy in the UNSC from UN membership), now allows Hamas to contest PA elections. The PA is no longer dependent on the peace process for its existence as a representative of Palestinian self government. It is now represents the authority of an independent nation state albeit with the IDF occupying some if its territory and protecting/enabling illegal settlement of it.

There are two paths to peace and this is a step on the path to the one that has two states west of the Jordan River. It’s no wonder it is a relief to those Israelis who want a two state peace because they know their current government does not (except one that quarantines Palestinians into bantustans in Gaza and a portion/portions of the West Bank).

This was the step missing in the Oslo Accord and Road Map process. It was all very well to talk about 67 border equivalence in any border changes, but first each party had to have their 67 border origin point for their to be two nation states in negotiation. A peace can only be made between two equal (state) parties. Without equality for Palestinians Israel was enabled/encourgaged to abuse their privileged place as occupier.

That they did so by allowing American Jews to settle land outside 67 border Israel and yet gain Israeli citizenship in doing was a provocation. It was de facto annexation – a statement that while Palestine did not exist as a legal state on its 67 border any Jew in the world could come and become an Israeli by occupying a place in a Jewish settlement on Palestinian land. It was land claim by squatting and the Israeli passport granted to them indicated this was occuring as state policy. That the IDF established protective fences from settlement to settlement, confirmed what was already known this was a land grab by the Israeli state using these settlers as a front.

Now Palestinians have a state on 67 borders, these settlers now know the world regards them as occupying another states territory without land ownership or right to residence. The Israeli state now knows the world sees them as using the IDF, the sttlers and the fence to occupy another states territory.

The Sharon strategy of leaving Gaza to securely establish a Jewish majortiy in the still occupied areas has lost its credibility. A return to the Olmert plan – voluntary disengagement from areas of the West Bank – looks like an increasingly attractive option. Abbas has a card to play if they do not. It is to use the recognition of the new state to grant passports to all Palestinians, wherever they live in the world (if a Jew in the West Bank is an Israeli, then a Palestinian outside WB and Gaza is a Paalestinian). Then to grant all those with a Palestinian passport the right to vote in Palestinian elections. With the state now recognised, the demographic war can finally end and with the Zionists losing – two states is all they have – and 67 or 67 border eqivalent are their only options.

Great to see over 70% of UN members had the intestinal fortitude to disagree with USA & Israel & say “YES” to Palestine.. now they just have to convince the Zionists that the West Bank (Palestine) is not part of Israel & it time to get out !